2024 was certainly an eventful year for the specialty coffee industry. By looking at the challenges from the previous year as well as ones already blooming in 2025, we’re reminded that it’s more important than ever to plan ahead. With the “C” market recently reaching all-time highs, logistical challenges, and fluctuating origin harvest cycles, understanding when coffee will land in your warehouse is vital for roasters and cafés alike. Explore Joe Borg’s guide to some of the arrival times for key coffee origins throughout the year.
Contributing Factors to 2025 Coffee Origin Arrivals
The risk of a port strike looming over the past few months has thankfully been averted. As both sides reached a new agreement, we put the potential supply interruptions to bed—for now, at least. But, this doesn’t mean that coffee businesses can rest easy. In fact, planning for 2025’s coffee arrivals from key origins has never been more critical. Let’s dive into some of the most important coffee origins and the updated arrival times for this year.
Coffee Origin: The Americas
Brazil
Over the last few months, exporters from Brazil have struggled to ship coffee on time. In some cases, we have seen delays of at least 2–3 months. However, many of our coffees have just arrived or are on the water and headed to our warehouses. These delays were mostly caused by limited equipment availability, including finding empty containers. Delays also stemmed from issues with overbooking steamship liners who would either push out the date for a future shipment or cancel it outright.
Many of our specialty coffees from Brazil—including the high-quality offerings from Legender—have been arriving recently, and the cupping results are fantastic! Expect a more lively and complex profile with an excellent balance of sweetness, perfect for your higher quality blends or as single origin offerings.
Colombia
Container ships typically route through the Panama Canal. As recent low water levels have slowed down movement through the Canal, we’ve been proactive in planning for the resulting delays. By forecasting inventory needs well in advance, we’re ensuring that you’ll have access to the Colombian coffees you rely on without interruption.
Central America
Nicaragua harvest has advanced earlier this year compared to neighboring countries. This means January shipments for new crop is possible. Although Honduras and Guatemala have recently experienced abnormal weather conditions with late rains as well as labor concerns with finding cherry pickers, coffee is slowly moving.
Additionally, Costa Rica experienced late rains while harvesting in the main regions as well as some cherry falling off the tree, so expectations for lower yields this year are probable. However, coffee is moving to mills and shipments seem to be on time. Lastly, El Salvador is seeing movement from the lower altitude areas while the higher altitude areas are starting to mature and should be ready for normal shipment periods.
Coffee Origin: Indonesia
Sumatra
Sumatran coffees, with their signature earthy, full-bodied profiles, continue to be a cornerstone for many roasters. While there are fewer organic and Fair Trade options this year, mainly due to the tighter restrictions at origin to maintain these certifications, there are still some excellent conventional lots available. If you are a strictly FTO or organic buyer, make sure to communicate with your trader to secure your quantities early! As always, we’re committed to maintaining strong relationships with our Indonesian partners to ensure a steady, reliable flow of these coveted beans. Main crop coffees have been rolling in and will continue through April/May until the fly crop takes hold.
Coffee Origin: Africa
Ethiopia
After visiting Sidama and Yirgacheffe in late November 2024, I can tell you that the coffees for this year are shaping up to be some of the best in recent memory. A lot of this is due to the eagerness at origin to process coffees in a way that increases the quality. They do this by caring more about the drying stages and introducing alternative methods of processing, i.e., anaerobic and honey processing.
Because the crop is about 1 month early due to a fluctuating climate, we are thrilled at the prospect of getting new crop washed coffees on the water in the next 30 days or so. Normally, we cross our fingers just for a March shipment! We’re working diligently with our suppliers to secure as many containers as possible to ship before the rush in April, so you can look forward to tasting some of the freshest new crop coffees sooner than usual.
Rwanda & Tanzania
While Rwanda and Tanzania coffees are arriving late from origin this year due to shipping delays, we’re confident that the quality will be worth the wait. In fact, we’re starting to see our new crop Rwanda washed & naturals as well as Tanzania Peaberries hitting our doors! These coffees, known for their vibrant acidity and floral notes, are delivering excellent results, and we expect the upcoming arrivals will as well.
Kenya
As for Kenya, the main crop auction season is in full swing, so we recommend acting quickly if you’re looking for top-tier lots.
Final Thoughts on 2025 Coffee Origin Arrivals
The 2025 coffee crop is shaping up to be one of the most interesting and dynamic in recent memory. From a $3.00+ “C” market, to early harvests in Ethiopia, to the complexities of global shipping logistics, it’s important to “stay ahead of the game.” Our team at Royal New York is working hard to ensure that we meet your needs by providing up-to-date, real-time information so you can continue to plan, source, and roast with confidence. Be sure to continue the conversation with your traders and keep us updated on your projections—we’re here to ensure that your coffee supply remains steady and exceptional throughout the year.
